GMS RACING NXS MICHIGAN RECAP

Spencer Gallagher and the No. 23 Allegiant Chevrolet crew fired off the weekend strong and continued that success all weekend at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Gallagher charged to the top of the board for first practice and advanced to the final round of qualifying where he collected his highest NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying effort of eighth-place.

Shortly after the race began, Gallagher radioed to crew chief Joey Cohen that he was experiencing a tight-handling condition on the exit of turn 4. Gallagher continued to race within the top-10 until stage one came to an end on lap 30 where the Las Vegas-native finished seventh, collecting his first set of stage points. Cohen called for Gallagher to come to pit road under the caution for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment, placing him to restart in the 14th position on lap 37.

Gallagher stayed consistent in the top-15 and was still battling a tight condition. He raced back to 12th before a late stage caution occurred on lap 58. Cohen called Gallagher to pit on lap 59 for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment thinking it would be a quick caution, but the stage ended under yellow and Gallagher ended the stage in the 21st position. After stage two ended leaders began to pit, placing Gallagher to restart the final stage in the 13th-position.

Continuing to compete within the top-15, the Las Vegas-native reported that he was battling a loose condition in the center of the corner and on exit. When a debris caution fell on lap 84, Cohen called Gallagher to pit for two left-side tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment, returning to the field in the 16th position. Shortly after the restart, Gallagher let the No. 23 Allegiant team know that he was struggling to turn the wheel causing him to drop back into the 24th position. Gaining a few spots placing him in 20th, a debris caution came out on lap 113. Cohen called Gallagher down pit road one more time for right side tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment and returned to the field in the 20th position on lap 116. Gallagher charged through the field reached the 11th position by lap 119. A late-race yellow was shown on lap 122, while Gallagher was in the 12th position. The green flag returned to the track one lap later on lap 123. On the final restart, Gallagher fell back into the 18th position where he crossed the start-finish line in his first NXS race at MIS.

Quote

“We had a really strong Allegiant Chevrolet this weekend. This GMS Racing crew brought their ‘A’ game and we showed that we were capable of running with the big teams this weekend. This is a huge confidence booster for our program with how the last couple weeks have been going for us. I hate we finished 18th because we had a better car than that but we showed strength all weekend now we just need to have the end result.”

Additional Info

– Gallagher sits 18th in drivers points and 26th in owners points.

Ben Kennedy

No. 96 Jacob Companies Chevrolet Camaro

Michigan Race Recap

Ben Kennedy and the No. 96 Weber team finished 36th in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Irish Hills 250 at Michigan International Speedway. The team advanced into the final round of qualifying and collected a 12th-place effort but a flat tire caused them to start from the rear of the field.

In the early stages of the race, Kennedy reported to crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz that he was aero tight from the center of the corner to exit. Kennedy was battling through the field reaching 22nd in the conclusion of stage one on lap 30. On lap 33, Kennedy brought the No. 96 Weber Chevrolet to pit road for four tires, fueland an air pressure adjustment, restarting him in the 18th position on lap 37. On the restart, Kennedy was involved in an incident where a car made contact with him from behind. Kennedy came to pit road multiple times so the GMS Racing team could fix the damage but the five-minute clock expired, relegating Kennedy to finish in the 36th position, multiple laps down.

Quote

“It was a tough day for our No. 96 Weber team. We had a great qualifying effort of 12th but had to start from the rear of the field due to a flat tire. This team rallied from the back and had a really good car. I wish we could have shown what it really had in the second half of the race.”

Additional Info

– Ben is scheduled to be back behind the wheel of the No. 96 Chevrolet at Kentucky Speedway.